Quote Of The Day By Brian May: 'Just Because You Did Good Stuff In The Past ...'

Born on July 19, 1947, in Hampton, England, Brian May seemed destined to become a guitar god. May built his own electric guitar — the Red Special — as a teenager with his father's help because he couldn't afford to buy one. Much to his parents' dismay, May quit college before finishing his Ph.D. in astrophysics to pursue a career in music with the band Queen.

As the band's lead guitarist, he helped keep Queen squarely in the realm of rock 'n' roll with his intricate and searing guitar work and as a songwriter on such rock anthems as "We Will Rock You." Following the death of Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991, May continued to make music as both a solo artist and with Queen drummer Roger Taylor in combination with other musicians, and even finished his Ph.D. in astrophysics in 2007.

May's extraordinary career didn't end with Queen, nor did he ride the considerable flow of the legendary band's royalties to a life of free abandon. Taking a ride to easy town isn't in May's DNA, and that's why he is today's quote of the day.

"Just because you did good stuff in the past doesn't mean you wake up every morning and go, 'Whoopee!' I don't. I have today's problems to deal with."

In a 1998 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Brian May said these words in the context of trying to build a life for himself outside of Queen. "I spent 20 years of my life building that up, and now I'm spending years of my life trying to get away from it," he said as a follow-up.

One can divine from May's statement that life goes on, and if you want to remain a happy and fulfilled person, you have to continue to seek out new challenges.

This statement may seem odd coming from Brian May, who had a massively successful career with Queen, but even he doesn't want to be solely defined by his past, no matter how fantastic it might be. While we may not all have been members of a beloved band, we still need to move past our former successes, in whatever form they may have taken, and continue to strive to achieve more. And, perhaps, seek different goals.

May not only went on to release two solo albums, "Back to the Light" and "Another World," but he also worked with singer Kerry Ellis on the albums "Acoustic by Candlelight" and "Golden Days." And then there have been various incarnations of Queen with Roger Taylor that were fronted by Paul Rodgers and later Adam Lambert.

May has pursued many diverse interests, and the famed musician made some unexpected career moves. Besides receiving his Ph.D. in astrophysics, he helped analyze data from NASA's New Horizons space probe to Pluto, has written numerous books, and is an animal rights and wildlife activist.

While we may not be in the same league as May when it comes to achievements, that shouldn't stop us from focusing on future goals rather than on past accomplishments. We should pour our energy into new endeavors rather than simply coasting on what we've already done.

• "When I'm gone, people will no doubt remember me for Queen, but I would much rather be remembered for attempting to change the way we treat our fellow creatures."

• "I did make one other guitar ... I don't think I would make another one, there's too many other things I need to do in this life."

• "Queen is a huge part of my life, but I do have other interests. People know about the astrophysics, but I love gardening, too, and I've always been passionate about the welfare of our wonderful British wildlife."

• "There is no way that you can ever really repeat something. I have this great belief that the magic of the moment can never be recaptured."

• "The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism."